--- title: "Messerschmitt Bf 109 — OnlyPlanes" description: "Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter produced in many variants during the Second World War." canonical_url: "https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109" locale: en meta: keywords: "aviation, aircraft, airlines, airports, flight" "og:description": "Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter produced in many variants during the Second World War." "og:image": "https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/messerschmitt-bf-109.webp" "og:title": "Messerschmitt Bf 109 — OnlyPlanes" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://onlyplanes.ru/llms.txt) Fighter aircraft / Bf 109 # Messerschmitt Bf 109 Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter produced in many variants during the Second World War. ![Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft photograph](https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/messerschmitt-bf-109.webp) Development ## History The Messerschmitt Bf 109 became one of the principal fighters of the German air force during the Second World War. It emerged from a mid-1930s programme for a modern monoplane and first flew in 1935. Development is associated with Willy Messerschmitt and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, whose name explains the Bf prefix in the designation. Production later involved several factories, and successive versions remained in German service through almost the entire war. The design combined one liquid-cooled engine, retractable landing gear, and a relatively compact wing. Early and late variants differed in more than engine power. Armament, cockpit equipment, armour, and fittings for particular missions all changed. The E-series aircraft used early in the war, for example, cannot be described with figures belonging to the later G series. Some Bf 109s were adapted for attacks on ground targets, but aerial combat remained the family's central purpose. During the Battle of Britain, Bf 109s operated from airfields on the European mainland. Their limited time over Britain affected bomber escort and the planning of sorties. A comparison with the Hurricane or Spitfire therefore involves more than speed or the weapons carried by each aircraft. Distance from base, interception altitude, fuel use, pilot preparation, and ground control could all affect the result of an encounter. Bf 109s later fought on several other fronts, where opponents and operating conditions differed. As the war continued, German industry developed the fighter's engine and equipment in response to new Allied aircraft. In the defence of Germany, Bf 109 pilots faced heavy bombers and long-range escort fighters. Increased power and weight did not always improve handling. Shortages in training, supply, and protection of airfields increasingly shaped operations. A late version must consequently be assessed within its practical setting rather than by a published maximum speed alone. Very large numbers of Bf 109s were built, and some derivatives remained in service outside Germany after the war. The type is historically significant for its long production run, scale of use, and continuous redesign. An accurate description of an individual aircraft should identify its series, engine, armament, operator, and period. The shared name covers machines with substantial differences, while the history of their employment also requires attention to the wider course of the war and the decisions made by commanders. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"News, stories and rare images from the world of aviation","inLanguage":"en-GB","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"translationOfWork":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter produced in many variants during the Second World War.","name":"Messerschmitt Bf 109 | OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","logo":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"},"sameAs":["https://t.me/legkoenebo"]},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109#article","@type":"Article","description":"Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter produced in many variants during the Second World War.","headline":"Messerschmitt Bf 109","inLanguage":"en-GB","thumbnailUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/messerschmitt-bf-109.webp","author":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"image":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109#webpage"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/messerschmitt-bf-109#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"OnlyPlanes","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png"},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/messerschmitt-bf-109.webp","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/messerschmitt-bf-109.webp"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://onlyplanes.ru/sitemap.md) for all pages.